Permissions and Apple Settings

Darkroom builds on Apple Photos, iCloud, and the App Store, so a few things that look like Darkroom problems are settings in Apple's apps. This page goes through each message Darkroom shows when one of those settings is in the way, tells you what to change, and links Apple's guide for the steps Apple owns.

None of these settings touch your photos. Changing photo access, iCloud, or notifications never edits or deletes anything in Apple Photos.

System requirements

Darkroom runs on:

• iPhone with iOS 18.4 or later
• iPad with iPadOS 18.4 or later
• Mac with macOS 15.4 or later, on Apple silicon and Intel
• Apple Vision Pro with visionOS 2.4 or later

A few things depend on the OS or device rather than on Darkroom. Magic Select needs iOS 27 and a recent device. Opening RAW files from a new camera, or compressed RAW, can need an OS update. RAW & ProRAW Files lists the cutoffs.

Photo library access

Darkroom reads your Apple Photos library directly, so it needs permission to see it. iPhone and iPad offer three levels, and Darkroom shows a different screen for each.

"Grant access to All Photos" or Select More Photos

You gave Darkroom Limited Access, so the grid only shows the photos you picked. Everything else in your library is invisible to Darkroom until you add it. To add a few more, tap Select More Photos in the library.

Full access is what lets Darkroom show your whole library without importing, manage albums in place, and move between photos with a swipe. To switch:

1. Tap Grant Access in Settings in Darkroom, or open the Settings app and go to Apps → Darkroom → Photos.
2. Choose Full Access.
3. Return to Darkroom. The library reloads with every photo.

Apple explains the access levels in Control access to information in apps on iPhone.

"No Photo Access"

Darkroom's access to Photos is set to None, so the library is empty. Follow the same steps as above and choose Full Access.

On Mac, open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Photos and allow Darkroom. Apple's guide is Change Privacy & Security settings on Mac.

"Restricted Photo Access"

A Screen Time restriction blocks apps from changing photo access, so the Photos setting for Darkroom is grayed out. To lift it:

1. Open Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions.
2. Under the privacy settings, open Photos and choose Allow Changes.
3. Set Darkroom's photo access to Full Access, then restart Darkroom.

If someone else manages Screen Time on the device, such as a parent or an organization, they'll need to enter the Screen Time passcode or change the restriction for you. Apple covers this in Block features or content with Screen Time on iPhone.

Mac: "Darkroom could not find a Photo Library"

On Mac, Darkroom opens the System Photo Library — the library Photos uses with iCloud Photos. If Photos has never been set up on the Mac, or no library is marked as the System Photo Library, Darkroom can't start.

1. Open the Photos app. If it asks you to create or choose a library, do that first.
2. In Photos, choose Photos → Settings, then click General.
3. Click Use as System Photo Library. If the button is grayed out, that library is already the System Photo Library.
4. Quit and reopen Darkroom.

If your library lives on an external drive, connect the drive before you open Darkroom. "Photo Library is unavailable" usually means Darkroom can't reach the drive.

Be careful when you switch a Mac with several libraries to a different one. iCloud Photos then syncs the new library, and once its photos upload to iCloud, the two can't be separated again. Read Apple's Designate a System Photo Library in Photos before you change it.

Mac: importing needs Full Disk Access

If Import or drag and drop does nothing on Mac, Darkroom needs permission to read the card, drive, or folder. Darkroom shows Grant Full Disk Access to Darkroom with an icon you can drag into the list.

1. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access.
2. Drag the Darkroom icon from the prompt into the list, or click + and choose Darkroom from Applications.
3. Make sure the switch next to Darkroom is on, then try Import again.

More on the Import page.

iCloud: preset sync and sharing

Your photos sync through iCloud Photos, which Apple manages. Your custom presets, community presets, favorites, and preset order sync through iCloud as well, and that needs two things on every device:

• You're signed in to the same Apple Account.
• iCloud Drive is on. On iPhone or iPad, open Settings → [your name] → iCloud → Drive and turn on Sync this iPhone (or iPad). On Mac, open System Settings → [your name] → iCloud → Drive.

Apple's guide is Set up iCloud Drive on all your devices.

Sharing a preset uses iCloud too. If Darkroom shows Sign in to iCloud when you share, sign in and turn on iCloud Drive as above, then try again.

If presets still don't arrive on another device and those settings look right:

1. Check whether your iCloud storage is full. When it is, iCloud stops keeping app data up to date across devices. See Manage your iCloud storage.
2. In Darkroom Settings, tap Clear Sync Cache. Darkroom rebuilds its local copy from iCloud.

Darkroom's edit adjustments work differently from presets. See iCloud Library for what syncs and what stays on the device.

Notifications: membership reminders

Darkroom can remind you before a trial or membership ends. If notifications for Darkroom are off, it says it can't schedule the reminder.

• On iPhone or iPad, open Settings → Notifications → Darkroom and turn on Allow Notifications.
• On Mac, open System Settings → Notifications → Darkroom and turn on Allow notifications.

Then turn the reminder on again from the Membership pane in Darkroom Settings. Apple's guide is Change notification settings on iPhone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related

• iCloud Library — what syncs through iCloud, and what stays on each device
• Import — cameras, SD cards, Files, and drag and drop
• Darkroom+ Membership — restoring, Family Sharing, cancelation, and refunds
• Settings — Clear Sync Cache, membership reminders, and other housekeeping
• Report an Issue — when none of this explains what you're seeing